River’s voice cracked through the clearing like a blade, as she tried to gain some time to find a way out of this.
Her shout echoed off the jagged rocks, off the remnants of the fog, off the tense silence left behind after Heiko collapsed behind her, injured and unconscious, but still alive.
“WHY? WHY DID YOU SAY MY BLOODLINE WAS MEANT TO END?”
The witch didn’t flinch.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t even look at the massive, injured king wolf bleeding into the earth.
Instead, she smiled.
A slow, cruel, amused smile.
“Oh River…” she cooed mockingly. “Such fire. Such… defiance. Almost makes killing you feel like a waste.”
River’s teeth clenched. “ANSWER ME.”
The witch tilted her head. “Very well. I suppose someone on the verge of dying deserves one truth.”
River braced herself.
The witc
